​Cold Creek Dog Training

Here’s Ben and his person enjoying each other’s company during a walk. It might seem like a simple pleasure, but he has an incredible story.

When Ben’s people first reached out to us, you couldn’t go near him without him lunging, growling, or snapping. Ben’s people are extremely dedicated and followed training to a T. Because of this, Ben has made huge gains and seeing his incredible progress reminds us why we love doing what we do!

We'd like to thank our clients our friends for a wonderful 2017 filled with opportunity and change. The new year always brings a feeling of a fresh start. If you've been meaning to deal with a difficult dog- maybe this is the time for a fresh start with some help- or.......you got a new puppy, now that's a fresh start for sure! Either way, can help you get your best paw moving forward to make this a fantastic 2018.

PUPPIES! It's not just about Kindergarten Class anymore! Over the years we've trained thousands of dogs in group classes- Puppy Kindergarten has always been a favorite. Popular demand and the overwhelming success of one on one relationship training has taken us in a different, better direction with our puppy programs.

Mind Your Manners Puppy Camp- Let your puppy stay with us in our home to learn the basics and get off on the right track with manners and more.

Grow With USA monthly program that grows with you and your puppy's training needs change.

Puppy Primer Lessons A program of private training here and at home focused on just what you need in manners and more. .......these options always including our special Mixed Topic Group Classes so you have the socialization around other dogs and people too.

I wanted so share some brief (well this was supposed to be brief- but ended up not so much !) but valuable thoughts on life and dog training- I know sounds so profound..... and what I mean is----- do you ever feel like life gets in the way of the things you really want to do and need to do ?

Do you look at stuff going on around you and think OMG how will I ever get through this or get this done ! I do - all the the time :) And one of the things that makes sorting out priorities easier is to break things down into little parts, little tiny bite size pieces that can be resolved - chewed and swallowed and digested.

-----Now I am not a car person in anyway, but I sure do drive one- in fact one of my other hobbies in life is putting gas in it :) but think of your dog as a car. You want to keep it running smoothly with no problems. Think about how anxious you feel when you hear that weird noise in the engine or feel that unnatural bump OR worse yet- see one of those red dash board lights come on.... warning... problems coming up- BIG problems.

so you take it into the car shop to get it fixed, and there is this one broken part or two----- these small broken parts are causing the whole car not to work. And causing you lots of stress. So your mechanic looks at the cause, finds the parts and makes the fix. He looks at the small piece to fix the whole. And you can drive away with your car puring. Alls those pieces of the engine (and then some!) need to work together smoothly and without issue.

Your dog is like that too, he will give you warnings- you will "feel" something isn't right- just like that engine light going off in your car.

Think of how this simple idea of breaking it down into pieces can affect how you look at your dog and the behaviors you want to change.

Figure out what the problem is- (red oil light is on!!) or "my dog hates other dogs!"

Start to break it down (find the broken part)----- "my dog lunges and barks when he sees another dog it makes the other dog bark too, it makes me worry"

Think about how to fix each of those individual pieces-----"my dog needs to learn to walk properly without issue on a leash no matter what he sees....AND my dog needs better social skills so he doesn't tense up and want to bark" AND I need to feel more confident about my dog"

Take action on fixing each piece------ "find a trainer who can teach good leash walking skills AND some behavioral reshaping so your dog feels better around other dogs and teaches you confidence around your dog."

Then put the pieces back together one at a time------"teach your dog to walk nicely on a leash, teach him to walk nicely around other dogs on a leash, give him the tools to have better social skills... "​

It makes things seem and FEEL much more manageable doesn't it..... So let's look for those broken parts and fix them to make you and your dog run smoothly !

The Bouncing Bonker !.I think all dog owners have tried a spray bottle at some point as a behavior corrector.

Here is a better improved concept- put down your spray bottle and pick up a towel ! Check out "Bonking"- a training concept developed by Gary Wilkes the inventor of clicker training.

We all LOVE the concepts of positive reinforcement and I always stress that learning is positive you should never correct anyone or any DOG for something they dont know.

However life has balance..... the Yin and Yang black and white.... We need to understand and accept that correction, setting boundaries and rules IS an important part of understanding and most importantly changing a dogs behavior- for the better!

Check out Gary Wilkesconcepts for"Bonking". I refer to it as the new and improved spray bottle concept :) Watch the video link and watch and learn.

Its the absolute best idea for a behavior interrupter-preventor-extenguisher and it doesnt get things wet :) !

Happy Holiday Greetings and Merry Christmas to all ..... and four and two feet, and feathers too :) May your holidays be well behaved and your counters not surfed ! Rose Deluca- Cold Creek Dog Training

As a single homeowner, I sometimes have no clue what to do when things go wrong... so many decisions to make- I need help. I look on the internet, I watch youtube videos, I ask friends for suggestions. I feel overwhelmed!

And then I call someone who really KNOWS what to do. I call a professional. All of a sudden the answers are there and he (or she- I'm a huge fan of Nicole Curtis the Rehab Addict!) says- well you need to do this, and this, and this. And I'm set. The stress is gone, the worry- its all taken care of - someone I trust told me the best choice to make.

I had a recent situation at home that made me go through this AGAIN... and I got to thinking about how similar this is to dog training and how your dog feels in those moments of indecision too- just like I do.

From your dog's perspective, there are lots of times when he doesn't know what to do.. he doesn't know how to act- or the best decision to make. When YOU step up as that professional and tell him what to do- you will see the stress and worry go away.

Being told something to do in times of stress can change everything. Something as simple as SIT, or LET"S GO! can change the whole perspective of the situation.

So next time your dog is feeling like he needs "help" step up and make those right decisions for him and take the worry away :)

​The ALL Important Release Word in Action ​Telling your dog he's "Done"- "Finished"- "Free'- "OK" - "Free"- "Released"- is super important in the training process. It makes it clear to him when he's allowed to get up and be off the command.

Its really simple and black and white as we like to say :)

And did you know... "OK" is not a good choice to release your dog? We the people say it soooooo much in our everyday lives and dogs will pick it out of a sentence.

My goal in planning to write some blog updates has not gone as planned. Like lots of things in life bigger and greater is not always best or most beneficial! Planning to create and slice and edit great movie videos and write topic articles is apparently not my style- and really who needs one more thing on the list of things to do.....

so.... with that being said- let the simplicity begin.... simple updates from time to time that I think will be really beneficial to everyone; without all the fancy trimming. Just tips, knowledge from my head and heart to help you be more successful with your dog (and life!) Since so many of these things all ripple upon each other... sounds philosophical I know, but true.

​How much happier would you be if you could trust your dog and how much calmer and more peaceful would your dog be if he knew what to expect and could count on you... the circle continues on and on....

It's not just words... I live it with my dogs every day and with and whoever the Immersion Training program dog is too ........ We are a family, a unit, a "pack" (dare I say the word that is not in vogue anymore :) I have gone through major life an pack changes that affect the family pack it's always part of the bigger picture 10% of the behavior you dont like in your dog is created by the OTHER 90% of the way he lives... think about it. Curious right ? but so true. So that 90% is the stuff that has to change to be successful. And it has to be life stuff, it can't be walking around in a circle doing left or right turns, its being out on the street facing life as you live it at home with your dog.

When you start addressing and changing every day things you do, you will see the most significant changes. Away from your formal training time. People ask how much should I train my dog everyday. The standard answer is in a formal way maybe twice a day for about 10 minutes... BUT...... the real training is ALL THE TIME. It's in that moment you pause and wait for you dog to be calm before you go out the door, or in being aware that you are ignoring a pushy behavior while your dog brings a ball while you try to watch TV. That is REAL training, and that is where you find true success. If you are struggling- look there, that's where you will find it... Look in the every day- every moment things you do with your dog, pay attention to the things you constantly reinforce with him. And there will be your answer.

As you start to see HUGE progress with things, keep in mind the old adage- two steps forward one step back. As with any kind of learning- it's never a straight perfect path to success no matter how good you and your dog are doing. It part of fluxes in the learning cycle. I need to remind people (and myself!!) of that all the time. When you have that moment or day when nothing seems to go right, just step back and say omg this is just what she was talking about-it's the two steps forward one step back thing.!... Take a break, pause, reflect, and step away. Things WILL go back to normal where you were, you'll very quickly be back to where you were and can continue on from there.

Send me your updates and stories and photos, post some reviews for me too please either on FB or Google, nothing fancy let's just keep it simple and black and white, like training should be.

Hey Everyone.... check out my first "real" movie video about dog training at Cold Creek Dog Training. You really can teach an old "human" dog new tricks so it seems!

This young German Shorthair pointer has a lot of energy! She was such a puller on the leash originally. Here is a small snapshot of the way we teach and connect and how she responds after a few days of training..... very happy and willing ! Because the communication is clear that's what makes the dog understand.

​It also shows the setting your dog will be learning in at our hobby farm in Gettysburg.

I know you can teach old dogs new tricks for sure !.... , I've had clients with older dogs over the years have super successful training results teaching that old dog new tricks! Really long ingrained behaviors like aggression and anxieties really can be changed later in life too!

A perfect example is client with a larger mixed rescue dog of about 10 years old, give or take, that had serious fence fighting aggression with the dog next door and overall life anxieties. Everything changed for them because good obedience, really high level stuff (not the type where dog only does it when he "sees" a treat" ) and proven behavioral reshaping can make a huge difference in everyone's quality of life..... even in later dog years ! Rusty now ignores that other dog, even when the other dog is barking! Can you imagine what a relief it is for the owners after years and years of this ;)

It's always easier of course to start off with a puppy and fresh new empty brain to fill with knowledge... but it doesn't always work out that way for lots of reasons.

Things can always be changed, dogs live in the moment and every moment is new!

So as I approach "old dog" status... it took me a bit to get with the program of learning some new video technology training for me- but here it is! A super video clip with all the bells and whistles!-- some audio narration, and the lovely intro spin too! Yes I can be trained it seems !

I've tried to avoid the video scene for a long time.... and just recently started taping the dogs (see what I mean?? who "tapes" anymore!)

and I found people enjoy watching them so much! it doesn't matter how perfect it looks, maybe it's the "realism" that makes everything so believable.

And that's how things go with dog training and life philosophies in general- it's never perfect!

We always strive to be the best we can... with the most clear and black and white communication so dog understands easily.

Imagine if you were trying to understand a foreign language- and someone was trying to tell you what you needed to do ... thats your dog :)

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... we are located 6 miles north of the Mason Dixon Line in Adams County PA on the edge of the south end of Gettysburg Battlefield National Park. We offer Dog Training Services to clients near and far- Southern and Central Pennsylvania, Gettysburg, Hanover, Harrisburg, Westminster, Taneytown, Chambersburg, Carlisle. Franklin County, Adams County, York County, Perry County, Dauphin County, Cumberland County, Schuylkill County. Philadelphia. Serving areas of northern Maryland and Washington DC and Baltimore metropolitan centers, Rockville, Germantown, Washington County, Carroll County, Frederick County, Montgomery County, Howard County, Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County. Serving areas of northern West Virginia, Berkeley County, Morgan County & Jefferson County. Serving areas of Virginia in Fairfax County and Loudoun County​